Here’s How the Star of Star Trek: Discovery Is Clapping Back at Racist Trolls

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Sci-Fi fans are nothing if not passionate. When it was announced that a new Star Trek series would be coming to CBS All Access, fans went wild — there hasn’t been a new series of the groundbreaking show since Enterprise ended in 2005. With the release of a “first look” trailer in May, we got the very first glimpse of former The Walking Dead star Sonequa Martin-Green and action legend Michelle Yeo battling it out in space. While most fans were excited, some (very racist) fans were not, and while the cast had remained silent, star Martin-Green is now clapping back and slamming the racist comments.

Sitting down with Entertainment Weekly, Martin-Green is quick to point out the legacy of inclusivity established by the groundbreaking science fiction show.

“I would encourage [trolls] to key into the essence and spirit of Star Trek that has made it the legacy it is — and that’s looking across the way to the person sitting in front of you and realizing you are the same, that they are not separate from you, and we are all one,” she says.

Of course, she’s not wrong. The original series featured main characters from Russia and Japan at a time when the Cold War was at its coldest, and the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry ruffled feathers when he presented the first interracial kiss ever shown on TV between Capt. Kirk and Lt. Uhura (played by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols). These choices were intentional, and set the basic premise for the show’s foundation.

“It’s one of the foundational principles of Star Trek and I feel if you miss that then you miss the legacy itself,” Martin-Green reminds fans. “I’m incredibly proud to be the lead of this show and be at the forefront of an iteration of Star Trek that’s from the eyes of a black woman that’s never been done before, though obviously there’s been other forms of diversity that have been innovated by Trek.”

Of course, we all have to wait to even see a single episode of the show, but while trolls continue to try and take down anything that doesn’t resemble their ideas, we’ll be over here patiently waiting for yet another black/female-led blockbuster.